In the
epic series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Jean-Luc
Picard and his crew are aboard the starship, U.S.S. Enterprise.
Their expressed purpose is to "explore strange new worlds, to seek
out new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before".

The
series paints a futuristic world in which mankind attempts to use technology
for the betterment of all. The crew of The Enterprise do not
work for their own gain. They draw no paycheck, nor have personal bank
accounts. Rather, they work for the gain of the whole, equally —
an idea which parallels the ideologies of every modern-day socialist.

They
take their assignments from the United Federation of Planets,
an entity that would be the next logical evolution of the United Nations.
Even the logo for the organization resembles that of the U.N.'s.

In the
show, there is a species of creatures known as the "Borg". The
Borg are a diabolical group who are part biological, and part technological.
They attempt to take over planets and populations by assimilating biological
beings — humans and other species — into their collective
conscious.

Once
successfully assimilated, the individual is then integrated with technology
and becomes a part of the Borg collective. The Borg are required to remain
attached to a "grid" of collectivism, with each individual's
mind being connected to that of the group. They are, therefore, incapable
of individual thought or deed. If one member has an idea, it becomes the
idea of the whole. The mind, will, and actions of the individual are made
subordinate to that of the group, and its controllers. Thus, thoughts
are hence controlled and dissention is impossible.

It seems
that the science fictions of yesterday are quickly becoming the realities
of today. And the technology that was portrayed in Star Trek and shows
like it, is emerging before our eyes.

There
is indeed a movement which is gaining momentum across the developed world
— the merging of human beings with technology. One group that is
at the forefront of the push is called the Extropy
Institute.

This
group of elite, rich "transhumanists" believe that mankind evolved,
and must continue in that state of evolution. They think that it is up
to mankind to evolve itself to the next level — a level they refer
to as "posthuman". In order to accomplish this, they contend,
man must integrate technology with the human body, therefore enabling
him to surpass the limitations of the brain and other physical, biological
organs.

The
Extropy Institute describes what the term "transhuman" means
to them. They say:

"A
transhuman is a human in transition. We are transhuman to the extent that
we seek to become posthuman and take action to prepare for a posthuman
future. This involves learning about and making use of new technologies
that can increase our capacities and life expectancy, questioning common
assumptions, and transforming ourselves ready for the future, rising above
outmoded human beliefs and behaviors."

And
who gets to decide which human beliefs and behaviors are outmoded?

They
continue by explaining what achieving their goal of being "posthuman"
would mean:

"'Posthuman'
is a term used by transhumanists to refer to what humans could become
if we succeed in using technology to remove the limitations of the human
condition. No one can be certain exactly what posthumans would be like
(there may be many differing types, and they may continuing changing)
but we can understand the term by contrasting it with 'human': Posthumans
would be those who have overcome the biological, neurological, and psychological
constraints built into humans by the evolutionary process. Posthumans
would have a far greater ability to reconfigure and sculpt their physical
form and function; they would have an expanded range of refined emotional
responses, and would possess intellectual and perceptual abilities enhanced
beyond the purely human range. Posthumans would not be subject to biological
aging or degeneration. It would be unrealistic to expect posthumans
to be 'perfect' by our standards. What we can reasonably say is that
posthumans would have greater potential for good or bad, just as humans
have greater potential than other primate species.

"Transhumanists
believe that the best strategy for attaining posthumanity to be a combination
of technology, personal responsibility, and determination, rather than
looking for it through psychic contacts, or extraterrestrial or divine
gift.

"Since
'posthuman' is characterized primarily by contrasting with the limitations
of 'human' we can only speculate about the particular forms that posthumans
might take. Posthumans may be partly or mostly biological in form although,
by definition, they would have overcome most of the constraints of the
genetic structure of homo sapiens. Many transhumanists find it highly
plausible that posthumans would be partly or wholly postbiological ?
the personalities of biological humans having been transferred 'into'
(or gradually replaced by) more durable, modifiable, faster, and more
powerful bodies and thinking hardware. Some of the disciplines that
transhumanists currently expect to play a role in allowing us to become
posthuman include genetic engineering, neural-computer integration,
biomedicine and nanobiotechnology, regenerative medicine, and the cognitive
sciences."

It isn't
difficult to imagine how integrating technology with the human body could
provide limitless possibilities for government to control and abuse the
entire population. Already, we see plans for a microchip, to be placed
under one's skin, being developed. If the extropists have their way, carrying
cell phones could become unnecessary, as telepathy — again, portrayed
as yesterday's science fiction — could become a reality.

But
in today's world, sensors could be placed next to the brain, and could
detect what a person was thinking, and relay it to the individual to whom
it was meant to be transmitted. Of course, there would always be the probability
that the wrong thoughts would be intercepted and dealt with by the "thought
police".

Government
experimentation with mind control, through the usage of drugs and other
means, has been done exhaustively as far back as the 1960's, through Project
MK-Ultra. Integrating technology with the human body would bring mind
control into a whole new realm.

Extropians,
however, refuse to see the negative ramifications of their cries for convergence.
Rather, their movement is one which is characterized by unmitigated enthusiasm
and optimism. For them, the perils of government intrusion into our lives
doesn't exist. Or if it does, it can only be for our own good.

Take,
for instance, one of the more influential Extropians. He is a man by the
name of Robin Hanson. Hanson is a professor of economics at George Mason
University, and has taught at Berkeley and the California Institute of
Technology. Hanson also has ties to government. He has worked for NASA's
Ames Research Center.

Perhaps
Hanson is most known for his headline-grabbing work with the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Prior
to the beginning of combat operations in Iraq, DARPA gave a group of economists
$1 million to develop a futures trading market for "predicting"
terrorism and other events. Essentially, money could be made from accurate
predictions.

Naturally,
it wouldn't take a NASA rocket-scientist — or an economics professor
working there — to see what a racket a terrorism futures market
would be. Given the fact that it can be proven that much of today's terrorism
is orchestrated by the very people who say they are fighting it —
those in government — a futures market would give the insiders a
perfect opportunity to capitalize further on the deaths of innocent American
citizens.

But
this isn't the only "brilliant" idea with which Hanson has been
associated.

On his
personal website,
Hanson suggested that the tax system of the "Entropians" —
a pejorative for the uneducated, poor masses that are not a part of his
elite — should be modified based upon the time spent making money
and not just the amount of wages earned. He believes the government should
be able to spy on you about ten times a year to see if you are working.
If you're not working at the times they make contact, then you should
be categorized in a higher income tax bracket than if you had been working.
Forgetting the privacy issues raised by such a proposal for a moment,
such an idea amounts to taxation of a person's leisure time. Under such
a system, taking a vacation could become a thing of the past, as it would
have the potential of throwing workers into a higher tax bracket.

The
fact that Hanson could seriously make such a proposal, speaks volumes
about who this man is, and the principles for which he and the Extropists
stand.

There
are other very prominent individuals who have jumped on board with the
Extropist ideology. For instance, Larry Page, founder of Google, promoted
the idea of technology integration into the mind in an interview
with C-Net.

"On
the more exciting front, you can imagine your brain being augmented
by Google. For example, you think about something and your cell phone
could whisper the answer into your ear."

Andrew
Orlowski of the Register, commenting on Page's idea said,

"The
'Internet' promised us so much when it was touted to us ten years ago.
The world's body of knowledge would be at our fingertrips [sic]. Now
we're being told that we need body modification to make it work. Ten
years ago we thought that all we needed was an ISP. Now, all we need
is a brain surgeon!"

And
the brain surgeons are already on the job.

In 2004,
Cyberkinetics
Incorporated, a company which bills itself as "a leader in the
rapidly emerging field of brain computer interfaces", received
approval from the Food and Drug Administration to implant chips beneath
the skulls of paralyzed patients. According
to the Associated Press, the intent of the experiment is to enable
the patient "to command a computer to act – merely by thinking
about the instructions they wish to send".

Naturally,
the potential benefits of the technology are always touted by the controlled
media to condition the public toward acceptance. In this case, Americans
are told that the brain implants are "to improve the quality of life
for victims of strokes and debilitating diseases like Cerebral Palsy or
Lou Gehrig's Disease."

It may
be for those purposes now, but it won't be tomorrow.

As technology
continues to evolve, so does the means of misusing it by those in high
positions of power. The implantable microchip could reduce credit card
theft, but would make every financial transaction traceable. Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) is already being promoted as a way to keep your
children safe at amusement parks, the obvious end of which, is to keep
all of us "safe" from each other.

The
Pentagon has long been researching ways to build the perfect soldier.
One who can survive without sleep, endure long periods without water,
etc. Much experimentation is being done in the area of robotics. Yet machines
have creative and logical reasoning limitations. Human minds possess the
capacity for innovation and reason, which is a formidable programming
challenge for software engineers. By combining biological and technological
means, hopes are high that the perfect person can be built, which can
outperform, outlast, outwit, and outlive any biological being, lacking
technological enhancement.

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But
at what point do we cease to be human? When do we cross the threshold
from humanity to "post-humanity"? When does the soul forsake
the body, which has become a sophisticated labyrinth of wires, circuitry,
and processors? Will future generations be marked by the spawning of soulless
zombies, efficient in their assigned duties, but incapable of independent
thought or revolutionary ideas? Will the personality of an individual
consist of a deviation in the placement of a series of ones and zeros?

In the
society of their making, where would be the beauty of a genuine smile?
What of love? Laughter, and for that matter all emotions, might only be
a sub-routine to be run at the appropriate moment, and only if an engineer's
criteria are met. Spontaneity would give way to strict order. And revolution
to adherence to the rule of tyrants.

Darren
Weeks is a husband, a father, and a lover of America. A graduate of
the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts in Southfield, Michigan, he
has been a professional radio and television broadcaster since 1991,
spending much of his career with local television news operations.

It
was at his job, when flipping through satellite channels that he discovered
patriot broadcasting, and his subsequent awakening ensued.

Government experimentation
with mind control, through the usage of drugs and other means, has been
done exhaustively as far back as the 1960's, through Project MK-Ultra.
Integrating technology with the human body would bring mind control into
a whole new realm.